Ninnu Kori Review

So I'm at Amba in Mehdipatnam, and there are large posters of "Natural Star" Nani with several fans' names and awkward pictures on them. Lots of men and quite a few women have thronged the B-rung theatre. And when I walk in, I hear the crowd roaring in anticipation of the film.

It's official - Nani is a star. And that's a huge responsibility. You'll be obliged to cater to your fans. You're obliged to go after some good-looking chick (who's also a woman with aspirations, but who cares?) despite having no academic or financial success yourself. What "despite" - it is quite necessary that you're an underachieving given-up-on-life bloke that the average engineering graduate can relate to. Additionally, your getting the chick will feel all the more gratifying when you trump an honest cop in winning her hand. Also you'll be expected to floor the said chick's father with nothing but the sheer size of your balls.

Nani delivered this admirably in Nenu Local (or so I hear - I skipped that film). And the screaming crowd seemed quite convinced that their star would deliver once again. Which is why everybody fell silent when, in a big plush house in San Francisco, Pallavi (Nivedha Thomas) and Arun (Aadhi Pinisetty) start off the film being very happy and, umm, very married.

Just what is this film upto? How can the heroine be married to this... this... non-hero? And when did Aadhi Pinisetty take the second fiddle mantle from Adivi Sesh?

Before I could find time to ponder over these questions and muster up the courage to ask the guy next to me to quickly finish off that video call with his girlfriend, Arun leaves for office and Pallavi makes a dash for the airport. The catch is that Arun doesn't know that Pallavi is heading somewhere. She lies to him that she's home when she is taking a flight to meet Uma Maheshwara Rao (Nani), who is very drunk, and umm, very bearded.

So is this what the film is upto? Nani will win back his girl from the second fiddle?

But that unleashes a host of more difficult questions. It is one thing when your hero wins a girl in a contest with a more worthy suitor, but a whole different one when your hero goes ahead and breaks up a marriage (a happy one at that). The moral trappings aside, is it even allowed for a Telugu star to settle down happily ever after with a girl who's lost her virginity?

Possibly because he was plagued by similar concerns, the guy next to me finally bade goodbye to his girl and started watching the film when it plunged into the Vizag flashback which shows Uma as a studious Ph D student in Andhra University and Pallavi as a gullible grad student in Gitam. The film decides to be absurd for a while because our writers aren't really sure how to write a budding romance without making it look like all parties involved are airheads.

But soon the romance is built and it's time for the story. Along with the story comes Murali Sharma as Pallavi's father, and thereafter, Ninnu Kori becomes a pleasant exercise in story-telling.

The story details why Uma and Pallavi had to split and how Uma is destroying his life under the worry that Pallavi married someone she doesn't love. He's convinced she isn't happy, and wants to save her from her "torture" despite her repeatedly telling him that she's quite happy with Arun. Exasperated at his assumptions, she invites him to stay over at her place for ten days so he can be convinced that she is legitimately happy with Arun. Uma's stay at Pallavi's leads to all sorts of situations where people end up being childish sometimes and very mature at other times.

And there you have the curious case of the Telugu film hero who isn't really there to deliver to his fans. Ninnu Kori is not a star vehicle. The reason we say this is also the answer to our earlier questions. Nani's Uma is not a hero. He isn't going to win the world. He is just another character in this mix of well-defined characters who are all trying to make sense of their situation and do what's right. And this lack of obsession with its star lets Ninnu Kori be a film in the true sense of the word - a story told by means of a visual medium.

Shiva Nirvana's direction is refreshingly story-focused. He uses whatever he has at his disposal primarily to tell his story. There's quite a lot of fluff and frill aimed at making the film saleable - like the pretty visuals by Karthik Ghattamaneni bathed in yellow, the ever-pleasant score by Gopi Sundar and the frequently hilarious lines by Kona Venkat - but Nirvana untiringly reminds us that his business is not to sell the film. He wants to tell his story, and he wants you to be moved.

His actors, for instance, are beautifully in character. Murali Sharma plays the avuncular Vizag man with convincing mannerisms that can easily feel affected in the hands of a lesser actor. Aadhi and Nivedha both sell their characters' motivations so easily that we never see any reason to question them even when the script pulls goofs. "30 Years" Prudhvi finds that rare film that isn't trying to use his comic image - it's just a delight to watch him act instead of growl.

However, it's Nani who reminds us why we loved him before he started sending people flying in the air. It isn't just charm, you know. He acts. He acts in a way we've forgotten to expect from our stars. He acts like he's feeling those things he's saying. And he acts like he knows that there is still some sensitivity in his audiences, and maybe if he found the right directors he could touch some hearts.

Ninnu Kori deeply benefits from its director's keenness on telling the story and its star's ability to suppress his inhibitions. So you unexpectedly end up with a film that's both sensitive and entertaining.

All I would like to say is that this movie typically wouldn't be accepted in our industry. We like happy endings with the hero and heroine together. We shunned tragedies of all kinds. But shockingly this movie managed it through without even a dent. And I think the credit for the RANGE of success for this film should go to Nani. He has instilled a trust in the public that he only does good movies (even though there are hidden duds like Majnu and Nenu Local in his recent track record) and that translated to big money and wide reception.

Next, I'd like to compliment Nivetha and Aadi for their perfectly nuanced performances. Both Murali Sharma and Prudhvi had neat deliveries as well.

I was kind of scared when I saw that Kona Venkat was involved in this project but director Shiva Nirvana presented us with a gem of a movie.

All I would like to say is that this movie typically wouldn't be accepted in our industry. We like happy endings with the hero and heroine together. We shunned tragedies of all kinds. But shockingly this movie managed it through without even a dent. And I think the credit for the RANGE of success for this film should go to Nani. He has instilled a trust in the public that he only does good movies (even though there are hidden duds like Majnu and Nenu Local in his recent track record) and that translated to big money and wide reception.

Next, I'd like to compliment Nivetha and Aadi for their perfectly nuanced performances. Both Murali Sharma and Prudhvi had neat deliveries as well.

I was kind of scared when I saw that Kona Venkat was involved in this project but director Shiva Nirvana presented us with a gem of a movie.

Nani is back on track, after a lull "nenu local". Quite an entertaining movie this one is (entertainment does not necessarily mean only comedy, any well-made movie is entertaining, to me).The only complain I have is about the chemistry between Aadhi and Nivetha, I wish it had a little more stuff to convince why Nivetha is rooting for Aadhi.

That bothered me too. If they are so happy and comfortable with each other they'd be far more intimate. Like a basic kiss on the forehead just wouldn't happen between them. I figured that must have been necessary to make Nivedha still appear a worthy pursuit for Nani. Yeah, it is a stupid concern but I suppose the alternative would be quite a risk for the producer.

Since we are discussing fine points, I also felt the bit about the Arundhati Nakshatram makes Aadhi's character too incongruous with his behaviour. Made me question his sanity.

Movie Review : Ninnu Kori - Matters of the heart that start with one and end with another need not be tragic; Time moves on, Life moves on and so should we. Experiences of the past can be sweet memories to cherish. A message that is beautifully delivered by this gem of a movie, all while maintaining a comic quotient throughout.. A must watch!

Pallavi and Arun are a seemingly happy couple living in the Bay Area until she rushes out of the city to meet Uma(her ex-boyfriend) in LA. What had happened between them and what will happen to them is the rest of the story.

Actor Nani, Aadi and Niveda are top notch! And so are the supporting cast. Vizag, Bay Area and LA are shown beautifully and the former two are a sweet spot for me ???? The movie always looks stylish and songs (well, most of them atleast) nicely blend into the story. Screenplay never lets you take your eyes off the screen and Nani's character is so endearing. What could be a mix of Darr and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, gleefully takes us to another place altogether.

The only flaw in the movie I could find was that in the very beginning, Pallavi gets her boarding pass from Southwest Airlines and flies Delta????????An anomaly that could probably be explained, but on its face, it is a mistake.

Please watch it, you will enjoy it! And even learn a life's lesson or two ????

Thank you Josh. I checked out the rating and skimmed through some paragraphs and went to the last one. Got re-assured it's going to be good.I am going to watch it this weekend and read the review again completely !!!

Just came from watching this movie. We generally do not get to see stories being told with telugu movies. Most movies are a means to put a star on the big screen so their rabid fans can hoot. So, when these kind of movies come along, it's an occasion to celebrate. This is by no means a perfect film. But when we see a lead actress capable of emoting and having a say in the story, that means a lot.

By intermission, I thought my suspension of disbelief was being stretched. Quite a few silly scenes were shoved in to advance the story but once Murali Sharma and Pruthvi re-enter the storyline, it elevated the movie to another level and never looked back. Third act made this move from being average to very good. It also helped that this part had the best song of the movie(hey badulu cheppave).I thought Aadi was the weak link in there. I can never get tired of Nani(except on occasions when doing cringe worthy characters like nenu local). Whenever a Nani movie is announced, I hope and pray it has a decent director and storyline so I could watch it on the big screen. And Nivedha was absolute treat. Thank you Malayalam cinema for giving us Nithya Menon, Nivedha and Sai Pallavi(I have a good feeling about Fida !!) . I feel it’s God’s way of compensating for torturing us with Kajals and Rakuls :)

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